Talk about pack-fresh color! This 1949 Bowman #100 Gil Hodges card is as bold and bright a vintage offering as we've handled, that is for sure. The red, white, and blue colors—reminiscent of Old Glory—seemingly pop off the card's surface, a perfect postwar artifact celebrating America's National Pastime. Gil was a fan-favorite in Brooklyn, and was one of the leaders on the city's only World Series champion in 1955. He also won a title with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1959, and was the manager of the 1969 "Miracle" Mets, one of the game's great underdog stories. The debate, now some four decades old, of whether or not Hodges belongs in Cooperstown still rages to this day. "Gil Hodges is a Hall of Famer; he deserves it and it's a shame his family and friends have had to wait so long," said Dodgers slugger Duke Snider, a teammate of Hodges and himself an enshrinee.
Despite moving to the warmer climes of Southern California following the 1957 season, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers still hold a place in Big Apple baseball lore, and are one of the most widely collected teams in the hobby. When high-grade cardboard specimens of Dem Bums, like the one up for bids here, go to the auction block, there is an abundance of collector interest. In addition to its superior color, the offered PSA 8 NM-MT beauty boasts clean surfaces, wear-free edges, and well-formed corners for its grade. And hopefully, in the near future, this card will not only be part of your Dodgers collection, but your Cooperstown one as well. It certainly deserves to be there.